Premium Credit Card Opportunities in Asia-Pacific Markets

New report explores the potential for credit card issuers in region with largest number of high-net-worth individuals

Boston, MA - January 02, 2013 - As economies have slowed in North
America and Europe, many countries in the Asia-Pacific have grown steadily. As
a result, the number of wealthy individuals in the region has also continued
to increase and Asia-Pacific for the first time has become home to the largest
number of high-net-wealth individuals (HNWI) in the world.

This rise of a small but surging population of wealthy individuals is
particularly important to issuers of high-end financial products such as
premium credit cards. The future of premium credit cards in Asia is
undoubtedly bright due to strong economic growth and promising population
demographics. Examining the current state of the premium segment in the region
enables a deeper understanding of the status quo and strong strategic
decisions for the future.

Mercator Advisory Group's new report, ‘Premium Credit Card
Opportunities in Asia-Pacific Markets’, examines the state of HNWIs
around the world and the Asia-Pacific market in particular. The research
provides a broad understanding of the HNWI demographic, projects their growth
in selected Asia-Pacific markets, and surveys premium credit card growth in
the Chinese, Singaporean, Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian credit card markets.
Also included is a breakdown of premium credit card trends and offers in Asia,
a comparison to domestic counterparts, and a discussion of the opportunities
and challenges of market expansion into Asia-Pacific markets.

"As the premium credit card market emerges in the Asia-Pacific region, the
opportunities and features associated with these cards will grow in parallel,
benefiting all parties involved," says Tristan Hugo-Webb, Analyst and
author of the report comments. "Although challenges to widespread deployment
and adoption of premium credit cards exist in the region, such as regulatory
hurdles in China, over time the Asia-Pacific region might become the most
lucrative credit card market."

Highlights of this report include:

A detailed profile of HNWI and high income earners around the world and in
Asia

The current state of general and premium credit card penetration and
spending in select Asia-Pacific countries

Comparison of reward programs connected to premium credit cards offered by
domestic banks in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia with the
offerings of American Express